Oscar Pistorius, The 'Blade Runner,' Faces Another Huge Challenge

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa leaving the starting blocks in Saturday's round 1 of the men's 400-meters race.

Michael SteeleGetty Images

Originally published on August 5, 2012 2:58 pm

South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, the "Blade Runner" who has has artificial legs below the knees but overcame that challenge to become a world class runner, will not be in the finals of the men's 400-meters.

The results of Heat 2 in the semifinals were posted at 3:55 p.m. ET. Pistorius finished last out of eight competitors, nearly two seconds behind winner James Kirani of Grenada.

For those following the story of South Africa's Oscar Pistorius — the so-called Blade Runner who has artificial legs below the knees and has made Olympics history by qualifying for today's semi-finals in the men's 400-meters race — here's a heads up:

The three heats to determine which eight racers get to the finals are set to start at 3:40 p.m. ET. Pistorius is in the second group. There are eight runners in each heat.

As NPR's Howard Berkes said earlier today on Weekend Edition Sunday, Pistorius' presence in the Olympics has made some other competitors uncomfortable. They have wondered if his high-tech blades provide some type of advantage. But, Howard reported, researchers have found that it's Pistorius who is providing the power and the blades do not add any.

Pistorius himself says "even if I am different visually, I still have to use my muscles. I still have to train. I still have to prepare. I still have to sacrifice. I have to work extremely hard."